Character Relationship Map: The Kitchen

Characters

• Izi (played by Kane Robinson) — protagonist

  Izi is the central protagonist, living in a dystopian London and working for a futuristic funeral service that turns unburied loved ones into trees. He befriends Benji, gradually recognizes their poss...

• Benji (played by Jedaiah Bannerman) — protagonist

  Benji is a 12-year-old boy who has recently lost his mother. He befriends Izi, helps him with work at the funeral service, and repeatedly seeks emotional honesty from him. Benji eventually asks whethe...

• Staples (played by Hope Ikpoku Jnr) — supporting

  Staples is the leader of a group of vigilante activists operating in the threatened community. Benji is staying with him when Izi learns more about the boy’s circumstances, which changes Izi’s initial...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Izi → Benji (Family Father) — The film reveals a possible father-son relationship between Izi and Benji.

  Benji directly asks Izi if he is his father, and Izi gives a soft, subtle nod.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Staples → Benji (Social Host) — The plot establishes that Benji is staying with Staples, although it does not define a formal family relationship.

  Izi initially rejects Benji, then changes his response after learning that Benji is staying with Staples.

• Izi → Staples (Social Indirect Associate) — Izi becomes connected to Staples through Benji's living situation.

  Izi learns that Benji is staying with Staples, who is identified as the leader of a group of vigilante activists.

Story Analysis

A guarded man and a grieving boy confront an emerging family bond while their threatened community faces violent removal.

Plot Progression

1. The Last Community — Izi lives in a dystopian London where social housing has disappeared. The Kitchen is the last surviving community and faces erasure by wealthy forces.
2. A Question In The Chapel — Izi works at Life After Life, where unaffordable burials can become memorial trees. After Benji loses his mother, he questions Izi about their shared past.
3. A Bond Under Pressure — Izi learns Benji is staying with Staples and begins to draw closer to him. Benji helps at the funeral company, but Izi remains emotionally guarded.
4. Leaving And Returning — Izi leaves Benji without explanation to live in a luxurious apartment outside The Kitchen. He later returns just as the community faces a police raid.
5. The Door Gives Way — Izi and Benji hide together during the raid. Their father-son possibility is acknowledged just before the police break into the apartment, leaving their fate unknown.